Orinocan Saltator

About the Orinocan Saltator

The Orinoco saltator or Orinocan saltator (Saltator orenocensis) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela. The Orinoco saltator was formally described in 1846 with its current binomial Saltator orenocensis. It has two subspecies, the nominate S. o. orenocensis (Lafresnaye, 1846) and S. o. rufescens (Todd, 1912).

The Orinoco saltator is 18.5 to 19 cm (7.3 to 7.5 in) long; six individuals weighed an average of 33.7 g (1.2 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a mostly black face with a long white supercilium and a small white spot at the base of the bill. Their crown, nape, and upperparts are slate-gray. Their wings are mostly blackish with slate-gray edges on the coverts; their primaries are brownish with thin pale edges on the outer webs. Their tail is dull black. Their chin, throat, and breast are white, their belly and flanks buff, and their vent and undertail coverts are buffy brown. Subspecies S. o. rufescens is larger than the nominate with a black forehead and sides of the crown and dark buffy-clay underparts. Both subspecies... Wikipedia →